Separator for gaseous fluids



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Feb. 6, 1923.

0. P. LUETSCHER.

SEPARATOR FOR GASEOUS FLUIDS.

2 SHEET -SHEET l.

FILED N0V125, 1921.

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Feb. 6, 1923.

0 P LUETSCHER SEPARATOR FOR GAsEoUs FLulns.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FILED N0V125, 1921.

:lllllll /NVENTOR Patented Feb. 6, 1923.

NETE@ ,STATES OLIVER P. LUETSCHER, 0F PERU, ILLINOIS.

SEPARATOR FOR GASEOUS FLUIDS.

Application led November 25, 1921. Serial No. 517,807.

To all whom t maw concern:

yBe it known that I, OLIVER I. LUETSCHER, resi ing at Peru, in thecounty of La-Salle and State of Illinois, a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvementsin Separators for Gaseous Fluids, of which improvements the following isa specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements inapparatus for separating entrained liquids from gases or vapors theimprovement being especially applicable for separating tarlfrom fuelgases.

The invention has for its object the provision of means whereby the areaofthe passages or spaces between adjacent liquid collecting surfaces maybe automatically adjusted so as to maintain uniform pressure dropbetween the inlet and outlet and consequently an approximately uniformvelocity of How of vapor through the separator regardless of variationsin the supply of gas or vapor between predetermined minimum and maximum.The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig.1 is a top plan view of a separator embodying the improvements claimedherein; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on a plane indicated by Atheline II-II, Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on a plane. indicatedby the line IIL-III, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an end elevation,

`a portion of the shell being brokenV away;

Figs. 5 and 6 are detailsshowing portions of the separating plates andillustrating the manner in which they yare supported, the plates beingshown as in closed position in Fig. 5 and in open position in Fig. 6;Fig. 7 is av diagrammatic view illustrating the manner" of connectingtheplates to an electricgenerator.

In thepractice ofjthe'inv'ention thecaseor shell is preferably formedintwosections 1 andr 2, secured together in anylsuitable manner andwith' avcap or top 3 bolted to the f sections, the sections 1 and 2arerprovidedrespecti'vely with inlet andl outletnozzles 4 and j 5. Theshelllisdivided intotwo c'oInpart-yvk ments or chambers by a-*ypartition6 formed integral withthe ca'p 3 'and held in gas tight Lcontact ywithal flange"7-7by"means of set screws y8". This partition is provided`with an opening for the flow of gas froin'the inlet and to the outletcompartment and tothe rearside of the partition aresecured annularplates.

' is notched peripherally for the reception of the posts 10, and isattached to a rod 12. Any suitable means ma be employed for holding theplates yieldingly in proper re` lation to each other to ensure themaintenance of thedesired drop of pressure between the inlet and outletwithout 'regard to variations between maximum and minimum yin thequantity of gas flowing to the separator. A suitable construction forholding the plates in yielding relation consists of a spring 13 havingone end connected to a threaded rod 14 passing through `an abutment anda nut 16 bearing against the abutment. The opposite end of the yspringis connected to an arm 17 keyed on a shaft 18, the ends of which projectthrough the sides of the hollow boss 19 formed on the cover 3. An arm 20has one end keyed to the portion of the shaft 18 within the hollow bosswhile the opposite end of the arm is forked and the prongs of the forkproject between collars 21 on the rod 12 which as before stated, isconnected to the disc11. It is preferred that a dash pot 22 should haveits piston connected to an'arm 23 on the shaft 18 in order to prevent achattering of the plates in case of'rapid changes in the supply of gasto the separator.

Provision is made for preventing adjacent plates from approaching oneanother nearer than a predetermined minimum and also .from beingseparated a distance greater than a predetermined maximum, butpermitting relative movements of the plates between those limits. In theconstruction shown, spools 24 are slidably mounted on the posts 10 andare provided with collars 25,

y 26, and 27,'the collars 25 and 26 being spaced a distance apartalittle ,greater than the thickness of the plates and made of athickness substantially equal to the minimum distancedesired betweenadjacent plates. The other collar 27 is spaced a distance apart yfromthe collar 26 substantially equal to the maximum distance desiredbetween adjacent By reference to Figs. 5 and 6, it will be' seen thatthe plate 9 projects between the collars`25 and 26 ofy a spool 24 andhence the spool will be moved by said plate as hereinafter described,but the edge of the adjacent plate 9 projects between c ol.- lars 26 and27, and .hence is movable with reference to plate 9 any portion of thedistance between the collars 26 and 27. The plate 9 projects between thecollars 25 and 26 of a spool 24EL which maybe onl an adjacent post 10and spools on posts further along the series of posts, so that thesespools will be moved along said posts. A plate 9b adjacent to plate 9aextends between the collars 26 and 27 of spool 24 and hence will have lalimited movement relative to plate 24, By the pull of the spring on thedisc 11,-the plates are drawn towards each, but held spaced apart by thecollars 25 and 26, as shown in Fig. 5. The corrugated plates are spacedsuch a distance apart that the total areas of the passages between theplates will be such that with a given supply of gas there will be apredetermined drop of pressure between the inlet and the outletchambers, such drop being dependent upon the desired rate ot' flow ofgases between the plates. The tension of the spring having been adjustedso that with a given supply of gas there will besuch a drop of pressureas to ensure the desired rate of flow between the plates, the'plateswill maintain their relative positions until there is a change in thesupply or the spaces between the plates become clogged with tar. Whenfrom either cause, there is a change in pressure in the gases, therewill be an automatic shifting of some of all of the plates, thereby sovarying the total areas of the passages between the plates as to restorethe desired drop of pressurc between the inlet and outlet chambers. Asfor example, if there should be an increase in the supply of gas in thepassages between the plates and they become clogged with tar, there willbe a temporary'increase of pressure in the inlet chamber and betweengijzvthe plates thereby forcing the plates apart against the tension ofthe sprlng and permitting a corresponding increase to normal in the rateof flow between the plates. 1f there should be a decrease in the supplyof gas, the spring will cause the platesto move towards each otherreducing the areas of the passages between the plates.

ater is injected into the spaces between the plates by` means ofspraying nozzles 2 8 on. the ends of pipes projecting into the centralpassage formed by the annular plates. As will be readily understood, theminimum supply or capacity, and by that is meant the smallest quantityofgas that will flow with the desired velocity between the plates,determined with a given number of plates by the total areas of thepassages, when the p ates are separated distances apart equal to thethicknesses of thevcollars 25 and 26, but,

rthe capacity of the improved separator can is/means op tar will run offand drop into the tar collecting chamber 29.

If it should be desired to utilize the agglomerating, action of theelectric field on the entrained liquid, spools 30 similar inconstruction to the spools 24, but formed of a suitable insulatingmaterial may be used and the plates connected as shown. in F ig. 7 tothe collecting rings of an alternating gener;

ator.

I claim herein as my invention:

1. A separator for gases having in combination a plurality ofindependently movable spaced members having adjacent surfaces corrugatedto form tortuous passages for the gas, the corrugations of one memberbeing complementaryy to those on the adjacent members, and meansoperative by and in accordance with changes in the gas supply forchanging the cross sectional area of the passages between the members. A

2. A separator for gases having in combination a plurality ofindependently movable spaced plates having adjacent faces corrugated toform tortuous passages for the gas, the corrugations on one plate beingcomplementary to those on the adjacent plate and means for changing ofthe passage between the plates.

3 A separator for gases having in combination a plurality ofindependently movable spaced p ates having adjacent faces corrugated toform tortuous passages for the gas, t ecorrugations on one plate beingcomplementary to those on the adjacent plate and means for changing .thedistance between adjacent plates.

A separator for gases having in combinat1on a pluralityL of annularspaced plates having adjacent faces. corrugated to form tortuouspassagesfor the gas said plates being independently movable, the corrugations onone plate being complementary to those on the adjacent plates and meansfor changing the-distance between adjacent plates.

5. A separator for gases having in combination a plurality ofindependently movable s aced plates having adjacent faces corru- `gtedto form-tortuous passages for the gas, the corrugations on one platebeing complementary to those on the adjacent plate and 'erative inchanges in the supply of gas for changing the distance between adjacentplates.

the cross sectional area gated to form tortuous passages for the gas,the corrugations on one plate being complementary to those on theadjacent plate and means for yieldingly holding the plates as againstseparation.

7. A gas separating device having in combination independently movablemembers having corrugated surfaces and spaced apart to form tortuouspassages for the gas, means Jfor supporting the plates in such spacedrelation as to establish a predetermined drop in pressure between thepoints of entrance and exit of the gas, and means operative by and inaccordance with changes in the supply of gas for so changing the spacedrelation of the plates as to maintain the normal drop of pressure.

8. In a gas separator the combination of a plurality of independentlymovable annular plates having adjacent faces corrugated, means formovably supporting the plates in spaced relation one to the other andyielding 9. In a gas separator the combination of a shell having inletand outlet nozzles, a partition having an opening therethrough arrangedintermediate the inlet and outlet nozzles, a plurahty of posts arrangedaround the opening through the partition, a plurality of annularcorrugated plates, spools movably mounted on the posts and provided withtwo collars overlapping opposite sides of one plate so as to movetherewith and with a third collar adapted to limit the movement of anadjacent plate, and yielding means for holding the plates as againstmovement one from the other.I

ln testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. 1

OLIVER P, LUETSCHER.

